With an increase in the density of LSI, the circuit line width of semiconductor devices has decreased through the years. To form a desired circuit pattern of semiconductor devices on a wafer, an original image pattern (i.e., a mask or, particularly, a reticle for use in steppers or scanners) with high precision formed on a quartz mask blank is transferred onto a wafer with its size reduced by using reduction projection light-exposure apparatus. The original image pattern with high precision is written by an electron beam writing apparatus, i.e., with a so-called electron beam lithography technique.
Patterns to be written have a wide variety of shapes. Typically, write data subjected to processing for division into figures that can be formed by a writing apparatus is input to the writing apparatus. A figure in contact with adjacent figures is accordingly defined as write data. In writing with an electron beam, the shape of a figure pattern to be written is resized in consideration of size fluctuations independent of an amount of irradiation with an electron beam, for example, size fluctuations caused by loading effects, and the resized figure is written. Resizing of figures is performed before write data is input to the writing apparatus. Alternatively, the resizing is performed in the writing apparatus (refer to Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2009-32904 and 2012-114105, for example).
In the case where the resizing is performed in the writing apparatus, resizing information is added to write data to be input to the writing apparatus. The resizing information indicates resizing or non-resizing of each of figures formed by dividing a pattern and resizing directions in the resizing. Correct resizing information, however, may fail to be added depending on the shape of a pattern or the method of dividing the pattern.